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Excellent suspense/mystery film from Bryan Singer

The best way of summing this film up is having a smile on my face throughout it whenever I watch it with someone who hasn't seen it and doesn't know how it pans out. Brian Singer's 1995 mystery thriller has been widely hailed as having the best plot twist and conclusion of any film. People regularly rate it 10 out of 10, and I have seen it a number of times from start to finish, each time seeing something new, realising something I hadn't spotted in the first place. It's rare that a film is so cleverly done from all involved as this, from the brilliant cast on the front line, to sll the crew involved behind the scenes.

The film opens on the docks, with an exhausted Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne) slumped down. A lonely figure walks down towards him after thwarting his halfhearted attempt to set alight a trail of gasoline. Lighting a cigarette, a short conversation results in a look of resignation and defeat on Keaton's face, before the camera angle changes, a gun is fired and a ship goes up in flames. Then come Verbal Kint's (Kevin Spacey) dulcet overtones as he and five others are hauled into the police station for questioning, a while before the first scene's events. Kint becomes the narrator for the story, as Chazz Palminteri's customs officer Dave Kujan tries to solve the mystery of the ship's destruction, as well as the 27 bodies found and the mystery man known only as Keyser Soze.

The film spends its time flitting between the present, as Kujan interrogates Kint to try and clear things up, and the history of the five suspects as they try to exact their revenge on the police for constantly trying to charge them for things they didn't do, coming down heavy on them each time. The changes in scenery keep the film moving along swiftly, with the suspense element constantly present, the dialogue oh so important in understanding what is going on. I wouldn't say it's as complicated as a twisty thriller such as Twelve Monkeys, but there are similarities in the way that watching it back reveals more and more things each time that you would overlook first time around. The action is some of the flashback scenes that Kint describes to Kujan provide one angle of suspense, while the interrogation itself is equally riveting as you wonder what is going to be revealed next. Kint is naturally reluctant to rat his friends out, despite the fact that he gained immunity already, and the scenes that the five crims go through build and build. More questions turn up, with answers remaining a mystery, and it keeps the pressure on and makes you guess again every five seconds.

The acting is what makes this so special, though. The mystery surrounding the man behind everything, Keyser Soze, is clear on everyone's faces. Stephen Baldwin, Benicio Del Toro, Byrne and Kevin Pollack are excellent as the four very different men who join with Spacey's Kint to make up the five usual suspects of the title, while Pete Postlethwaite provides the important link between what Soze wants and how he explains it to the five as Kobayashi, Soze's lawyer. It seems they have all wronged him at some point, and he wants his revenge. But it's the interaction between Palminteri and Spacey that makes this such a gem. The script writing for the scenes involving the two of them through the interrogation is excellent, but their delivery of it excels above all else in the film. Spacey's portrayal of a cripple who cannot walk or hold himself properly due to cerebral palsy is memorable to say the least, and the increasing desperation Palminteri puts into Kujan is perfect. The two really clash on screen, and it works perfectly.

You'll likely find yourself trying to work out who Soze is and what he is trying to to achieve, as the film goes on, as well as trying to go along with Palminteri, willing him to solve the mystery and find out exactly what is going on. It's really frustrating as things go along, and the suspense is monumental. The quote of the film has to be in comparing Soze to the Devil: 'The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.' Now this will really make you think.........

By the time the film comes to the end, there's an initial sense of confusion, before you try and backtrack to work things out. If you watch this on TV, you'll wish you had recorded it. I remember the very first time I watched it was on TV, and I immediately went out to buy the DVD. I think the second time of watching has the most impact, and each time thereafter is spent filling in the gaps and increasing realisation. And like I said, you'll love watching it with someone who doesn't know what's going on or about to happen.

I can't recommend this film enough. The power of the acting, plot, direction and music is immense. Singer hasn't really gone on to get anywhere near this again in terms of cinematic genius, but then he hasn't really had the cast or crew or musical direction around him for this to happen. Spacey, in my eyes, hasn't given a better performance since, and no film comes close in terms of nailing a really complicated plot with precision, leaving no stone unturned and nothing without closure, if you search for it hard enough. If you get a chance to watch it, I urge you to do so, and remember: if it's on TV, record it - you'll want to be watching it again straight away...........

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One man tells some policemen a story

An exploded boat in the harbour leaves 27 men dead with two survivors. A Hungarian criminal and a con-artist with cerebral palsy called Roger 'Verbal' Kint (played excellently by the always fantastic Kevin Spacey).

Verbal wangles complete immunity from the police for his connections to the murder in exchange for the complete story of what actually happened. The Hungarian criminal says the explosion was at the hands of a criminal mastermind called Keyser Soze. A police artist begins to sketch the Hungarian's description of the man.

Verbal begins his story of what actually happened, starting six weeks before the explosion. Verbal's story is a twisting tale of heists that end with the destruction of a boat containing 91million dollars worth of Cocaine. The story constantly weaves in this mysterious character of Keyser Soze - just who is he, and why are these men targeted by him.

The film has one of the most famous twists ever portrayed on screen and is deserved of its Oscars. One of the elements of the twist have been greatly parodied and pastiched in such things as Family Guy and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I would say this film can drag on a bit, making you want to get to the reveal quicker. It is definitely a piece in cinema history that must be watched.

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everyone has to agree this is a great film

Storyline

After a boat is destroyed US Customs Officer Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) is bought in to investigate. The evidence consists of 27 dead bodies, $9.7 million drug money and a survivor known as Roger 'Verbal' Kint (Kevin Spacey). When Verbal makes a deal with the DA he must tell the Customs officer everything he knows. He begins with how the men all met, after they were hauled into a New York police station after a crime was committed. When they were all found innocent of the crime in question they planned a revenge plot against the NYPD. Soon, however, things spiral out of control as they find there next job together is to pay off a debt to Keyser Soze, a legendary, deadly, seemingly fictitious criminal.

What to Expect

A high profile cast that live up to their high profile names. In my opinion all of the actors give their best performances by far, which only adds to the greatness of this movie. Also expect a carefully written dialogue and some of the best film quotes to date. Furthermore, the suspense will leave you hanging on the edge of your seat (I know it is a cliche but trust me with this it is completely true). When I watched this film I did have high expectations of it, because of all the great reviews that it was given, and I was not disappointed.

Is it for You

It is rated R, mainly because of some violent scenes and quite a bit of strong language. If you are easily offended by strong language then I suggest you give this one a miss. However, if you can look past that then i suggest you give it a go. Remember this isn't just another crime/thriller, it is one of a kind and well worth the time and effort it takes to watch a film!..........poof, and just like that, he was gone!"

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Twist after twist after twist. This film will keep you guessing to the end.

Without a doubt, The Usual Suspects is the most intelligent film ever made, and is pitch perfect. It can easily be mentioned in the same sentence as such films as Chinatown, The Maltese Falcon and all those other films that have complex plots with excellent twists. But this film does have the best twist of all, and really throws you in every direction it possibly can. It has no real star as such, as even Kevin Spacey was in the middle of building up his career. So this was very much a film that had no real star, and is based around pure character acting.

The Usual Suspects stars Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Benecio Del Toro, Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Pollock and Chazz Palimenteri, who are all in outstanding roles with extra support from Pete Postlethwaite.

At the beginning of the film, Dean Keaton (Bryne) is lying down on a ship, injured. Above him, a man stands. Slowly, the man comes down stairs. We never see his face. But he is referred to as Keyser Soze. Keyser then shoots Keaton dead and sets the boat alight.

We then cut to a few weeks later where cripple Verbal Kint (Spacey), the only survivor of the fire on the boat who is giving his statement. In return, he is given total immunity from prosecution.

However, before he can post bail, a customs officer called Dave Kujan (Palimenteri) comes to talk to him about Keaton. Kint is placed in an office and Kujan starts to talk to him. Intially, Kint is reluctant to talk, but slowly opens up as he is nervous about the threats being made to him.

Through flashbacks, we watch as Kint and four other criminal men including Keaton are put together in a line up, and are seemingly pushed into performing different crimes, all the while knowing that there seems to be a huge criminal force behind it. Then the name Keyser Soze comes up, and the men panic. Ultimately, it's leads to the scene in the shup, and one of the finest climaxes and certainly the most intelligent in Film.

This is just such an outstanding film. The tension, the action, the dialogue, the acting and the twists and turns are fabulous. The screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie is one of the best ever written. The direction is also outstanding. There is always something going on in this film, whether it's the brilliant and well paced action, or the sparkling dialogue. Nothing is ever left clear, so you're always thinking about it and always trying to work out what has happened.

The acting is just as brilliant. Everyone in this film is on top form, and there is no one 'star' who stands out and steals the scenes. Kevin Spacey is outstanding, and won the Oscar for his role. But at the same time, the other actors are just as outstanding. Each man revels in his role, and they clearly are all having so much fun in this film.

And the twist at the end is simply unbeatable.

To put it into perspective, Al Pacino was offered a role in this and turned it down. He now says that of all the roles he turned down, this film was the one he regrets most. And when you see it, you'll see why.

The only word of warning is that although it's a relatively short film, it's very complicated. So you have to stick with it, and like most other people you'll have to watch it again. And if you're like me you'll watch it plenty more times as well. Just a first rate film. It's ranked at number 10 on the AFI's mystery list, but it should be higher.

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Watch it now! If you've seen it already, WATCH IT AGAIN!

The Usual Suspects is, in my opinion, one of the finest crime films ever made. It features a great cast, excellent storyline, great direction - everything you could ever want in a movie.

The film stars Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, Kevin Pollack and Benicio del Toro as a group of New York criminals who are pulled in by the police for a lineup. While they are languishing in the cells, they hatch a scheme to pull a big job. The job goes off without a hitch, and the gang disappear to Los Angeles to let the heat die down. While there, they get pulled into yet more crimes, largely against the will of Dean Keaton (Byrne), who is doing his best to go straight.

When the gang is called into a meeting, they find out that they have all stolen from a mysterious and seemingly omnipresent underworld figure called Keyser Soze. As a consequence, Soze wants them to do one big job, which he does not expect them all to survive. Soze's instructions are relayed through his lawyer, a man called Kobayashi (chillingly portrayed by Pete Postlethwaite), who tells them they need to destroy 91 million dollars worth of cocaine on a ship in San Pedro harbour.

All these events are told in flashback by the sole survivor of the raid, Verbal Kint (Spacey), during his interrogation by Federal Agent Dave Kujan (played by Chazz Palminteri.

I don't want to spoil the plot, for those of you that haven't seen this film yet (but I will say 'Really? How can you NOT have seen this? Stop what you're doing and watch it immediately!) I will say no more, but the last ten minutes have twists and turns, and a surprise to end all surprises at the end.

Superbly directed by Bryan Singer, The Usual Suspects is a must see for thriller fans, and film buffs of all kinds. I only gave it 5 stars because I couldn't give it 6!!

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One to watch

The usual suspects in one of my all time fravorite films of all times.

It was written by Christopher McQuarre and Produced by Bryan Singer and stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Bryne, Chazz Palmteri, Kevin Pollak, Pete Postlethwaite and Kevin Spacey. The film was produced in 1995 and is approx 102 minutes long. You can watch it in english and in french and have subtitles in many other languages.

The story is about 5 guys that are all criminals, that are put in to a room together after being set up for something that they didnt do. Whilst in that room they decied to get together and do a job that will get back at the police force (target the newyork taxi service). This then leads on to them meeting an associate of a crime lord that is apparantly mistical and feared by all people but has dissapeared of the map and will only ever come back once before he disapears for good. They are asked to do a job which involves drugs and money. This goes wrong and they all die apart from Verbal Kint played by Kevin Spacey.

The whole story start to finish is with Verbal being interogated for the whole crime. A very entertaining film with a fabulous twist that keeps you wondering and thinking when the movie has finished and your trying to get to sleep.

Sorry to the people that read the reveiw before as i know that i ruined the ending for you. I have now deleated that part of my review.

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Who is keyzer Soze

The Usual Suspects is a mystery crime thriller directed by Bryan Singer. The plot centres on five criminals who meet at a line up. upon release the five criminals find it usful to form together to pull of a precious robbery after hearing of some precious stones. There antics grab the attention of the hidden Keyzer Soze who cons them into more work.

The film is complex and shot almost in flashback with each of the characters plight told by one of the cons who is in for questioning, as the stories unfold the pace builds up the film brings in lots of questions ans tension as the whole story comes to a mindblowing climax through one very key last scene.

What Singer has constructed is a complex and genius movie which brings something new and giffrent to each frame of the film, With clues everywhere you will need to watch again to piece together what you are watching on screen.

kevin Spacey is amazing in his role decieving the viewer the whole time as he tells his story. Not only does he seem the most innocent all the way through but seems to be the bind that holds everything together. His precence is strong and is his finest role to date.

The Movie is very stylish with the ise of lots of close ups and cross editing keeping the narrative move along with ease. The running time at 1hour anf 42 minutes is over in a in what seems just over an hour which is a testament to the quality film making.

Wouls be a crime not to own on dvd

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Overall a great film with twists and turns

The Usual suspects is one of my favourite movies not just because of the amazing twist at the end which is one of the best I've seen in a film, but also the performance of Kevin Spacey in particular is fantastic.

Kevin Spacey brilliantly plays a con man and a very talkative crippled man who has been arrested and is being quizzed about various crimes committed. His narrative throughout the movie kept me transfixed and is what I clung to in the effort to try and understand what was going on and not get lost in the plot. Five criminals are placed in a holding cell in jail so that they can appear in a line up. However, none of them were actually involved in the crime for which they have been arrested. Their chance meeting though gets them together as a team and inspires them to combine forces to plan a heist.

The Usual Suspects starts on a scene of carnage on board a docked ship which is littered with corpses. This sequence recurs and is brought up throughout the film, remembered by Kevin Spacey's character who was the only one to survive and imagined by his interrogator federal agent. It is used as focal point for which the audience to think about.

One of the reasons I really liked this movie was due to it's solid script and interesting storyline. It tells a fascinating, if not confusing tale of five hardened criminals brought together by fate and manipulated by an underworld mysterious figure called Keysor Soze. It can be confusing if you don't concentrate and I've watched this a few times now but if you keep up then the story is pieced together bit by bit as things unfold. I found it challenging to get my head round and is original and not at all predictable which is great. The rest of the five criminals played by Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Pollack, Benecio Del Toro and Stephen Baldwin are also good in supporting Spacey and make the film believable.

Overall, you have to watch this film and like myself will be drawn to watch it again and again as you understand it even more and if you've not seen it before look out for the twists and turns that are unbelievable.

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Thriller

The Usual Suspects would make it into my top ten list of films without a doubt, it is a superb thriller with an excellent plot twist that the first time I watched the film I just never saw comming.

Most of the film is told as flashbacks through the eyes of Verbal, played by Kevin Spacey who is a crippled small time crook who comes into contact with four other criminals whose lives are linked together by their past crimes. He tells his story while sat in a police station after a gun fight on a ship has ended with the leader of the gang Dean Keaton, played by Gabriel Byrne, missing and assumed dead after Verbal claims to have seen him killed. Verbal is waiting for the authorisation for his release to come through after cutting a deal with the police however a agent who is obsessed with tracking down an underworld legend by the name of Keyser Soze persuades Verbal to tell his story after it becomes apparent that Soze is linked to events on the boat.

The acting is this film is brilliant, Spacey as Verbal is excellent, he manages to make you feel nothing but sympathy for his character even when you see him shoot a man in the head. There is a strong cast in support of him however it is he and Byrne that dominate the film with their acting ability.

The plot is real edge of your seat stuff as the story unravels and you find yourself rooting for the criminals as they slowly discover that they are in over their heads. The dialogue is sharp and focused and th whole film is a great thriller. Five out of five stars from me for a great film.

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Absolutely a must-see

After a shoot-out on a boat, one of the few survivors, a cripple known as Verbal, is forced by the police to tell them what happened. His story starts a few weeks before. A truck is hijacked in New York, and, because of a lack of suspects, the police round up five career criminals, including Verbal, who could have been involved, but weren't. As revenge, they decide to carry out a heist against the police, who have been running an illegal taxi service. However, the five then find themselves in fear of a legendary criminal gang leader called Keyser Soze, whom all have apparently wronged at one time or another. Just what is Soze's plan for the men? And is Verbal going to live the rest of his life in fear of him?

Verbal is played by Kevin Spacey in what I think is easily his best performance. Spacey has the ability to be suave and good-looking, creepy or a total innocent, depending on what role he takes on. Here, he borders on the innocent, for all he's a career criminal, and it is easy to feel sympathy for him. Nevertheless, there is a streak of iron in there as he masterminds the heist and there is enough about him to keep the audience's interest. The whole story revolves around him, so it is lucky that Spacey is talented enough to carry the role, and then towards the end, he shows just how outstanding he is in a way that I can't divulge for fear of ruining the plot. Suffice it to say, I think Spacey is a great actor anyway, but this role is outstanding.

Gabriel Byrne is another excellent actor and plays Dean Keaton, a dodgy businessman and ex-police officer who is trying to go straight. He is very reluctant to become involved in the heist, but feels he has no choice; unfortunately, before he knows it, he is in over his head. Keaton is a scary man, one moment apparently collected, the next, with an evil glint in his eye, and Byrne manages to portray it perfectly, so that it is never entirely clear whether he is all he seems. I just wish he'd spoken with his usual Irish accent rather than an American one - not that the American one isn't good, but his Irish accent is just delicious! The other three men, played by Benecio del Toro, Kevin Pollack and Stephen Baldwin are also great, but are over-shadowed by Spacey and Byrne, partially at least due to the fact that their on-screen time is short.

Pete Postlethwaite plays Kobayashi, a minion of Keyser Soze (who is never really seen). Postlethwaite seems to have made his name as a character actor in Hollywood films and it's always good to see him. However, this one is slightly odd. Kobayashi is a Japanese name, Postlethwaite is British and yet Kobayashi appears to be Pakistani. As it happens, it doesn't really matter, but I did find it puzzling and slightly distracting! The officer interviewing Verbal is played by Chazz Palminteri - his role is limited because he's stuck in an office asking questions, but I thouight he did a great job anyway and really helped keep the flow of the film going smoothly.

The best part of the film, however, is not the acting, excellent as that is, but the story and the way it is told. Right from the first scene, where a police officer is covering up dead bodies on a boat, my interest was piqued and the fact that it is then partially narrated by Verbal and partially shown to us first-hand is really excellent. It has to be said though that what puts this film head and shoulders above most of its genre is the ending. I'm usually quite good at guessing where a film is heading and I did have an inkling at one point, but was soon side-tracked. By the end of the film, I was left with the impression that I had just watched something very special, and that rarely happens to me these days.

This is only Bryan Singer's second or third film as a director and I can't help but think it's a pity he delved into films like X-Men and Superman after this. Then again, there wasn't much chance that he was going to be able to improve on this had he gone down the thriller route, so perhaps he made the right decision. He is ably assisted by a taut script to Christopher Macquarrie. What I liked about the script was that there was no wasted speech. Everything that was said was important to the story, even though it wasn't always obvious at first. This makes it a great film to re-watch because, although the twist in the tale won't be a suprise, there are nuances that not everyone will pick up the first or even second time. That really doesn't matter though, because the film is still strong enough to impress at the first watch.

There is a classification of 18 on the film, which is perhaps a little steep. There is a fair amount of violence, of course, with people being shot right left and centre. There is also a lot of nastiness. However, on the whole, I've seen much worse - The Dark Knight for starters - and a 15 might have been more sensible. Nevertheless, if you want to cut down on the amount of violence that your teenager is open to, then you may want to check it out before they watch it.

I have the two disc special edition (which I picked up from a car boot for just £1 - bargain!) and it is packed with extras. On the disc with the film, there are two audio commentaries. On the extra disc, there's a whole ream of features, which are interesting, although by the end of them, I thought it was overkill because a lot of information was repeated. Nevertheless, it was interesting to find out how and why the actors were chosen, how Singer filmed it, and best of all, there's plenty of Gabriel Byrne's gorgeous Irish accent. There's also a feature on presenting the film at Cannes. Finally, there's a collection of bloopers, which are only vaguely amusing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller and most definitely recommend any fan of thrillers, especially something like The Departed, to see it if they haven't already. Some may find a little slow to start with, although I didn't, but it really is worth paying attention, because it does eventually make sense and you will feel a massive amount of satisfaction when it does. And on top of a really great story, Spacey and Byrne give outstanding performances. Definitely one to watch. Five stars out of five.

The DVD (the two disc special edition) is available from play.com for £4.99.

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Almost bewilderingly layered but smart

note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room

The Usual Suspects is the film that brought X-Men and Valkyrie director Bryan Singer to prominence. It's a neo noir that features an impressive, and twisty, plot that's been likened to the complex stories written by 1950s authors Dashiel Hammet and Raymond Chandler. It won Kevin Spacey an Academy Award for his performance, and the screenplay also won an Oscar.

The film opens as Keaton (Gabriel Byrne) is on a boat that's aflame. He is approached by a man noted to be Keyser Soze, a mysterious, phantom-like individual that nobody can identity. He seemingly murders Keaton, and then FBI Agent Jack Baer (Giancarlo Esposito) and U.S. Customs special agent Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) come to L.A. to find out quite what on Earth is happening.

The only healthy survivor that they can find from the boat disaster is Roger "Verbal" Kint (Kevin Spacey), a crippled man who has a rather dry sense of humour and doesn't so much appreciate being interrogated. The other survivor merely talks from his hospital bed of the legend that is Keyser Soze, as the cops try to work out who he is and what he has to do with this boat debacle.

Meanwhile, the film cuts to six weeks prior as Kint explains his story to the cops. Here we meet Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne), a former police officer who was corrupt, Michael McManus (Stephen Baldwin), a brilliant shooter, Fred Fenster (Benicio Del Toro), McManus' partner who hilariously speaks in quite possibly the worst level of English ever, Todd Hockney (Kevin Pollak), a hijacker who hates McManus, and of course Verbal, a con artist who is crippled also.

A smart and slick thriller that truly requires multiple viewings to fully understand. The plot complicated, the tension constant, and with a mind-blowing twist that you'll kick yourself for not guessing, this is a great little crime thriller.

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A very enjoyable film with many twists

Saturday night for my husband and me usually consists of trying to get the kids to bed at a decent hour so we can have some couple time. This normally consists of a pizza, a bottle of wine and watching the telly, my husband suggested a DVD for a change and he chose The Usual Suspects. I am not a film buff so don't claim to know lots about genre, acting and directing, I normally wouldn't choose anything too violent or with a complicated plot but this was my husband's choice.

I had watched The Usual Suspects previously but to be honest couldn't remember too much about it although certain parts were very memorable. This film is 18 rated and rightly so, there are some scenes of violence and strong language throughout, however it has an excellent plot and great cast. The film stars:Gabriel ByrneStephen BaldwinChazz PalminteriKevin PollakKevin SpaceySuzy AmisBenicio Del ToroGiancarlo Esposito Pete Postlethwaite.My husband reckons that any film that has Pete Postlethwaite will be worth watching.

Now this was my husband's choice of film but I wouldn't say it was a "man's film", I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed the film and would recommend it to anyone. I am not going to say very much about the plot of the film or how the story runs but be prepared for some surprises and twists along the way. The film lasts 102 minutes so is quite short but it is jam packed with substance and action intertwined. The plot is intriguing but not too demanding, your head doesn't hurt from thinking too hard about what is happening. Perhaps this is what I liked most about the film, the fact that you became engrossed but you did not have to concentrate too hard to enjoy it, I found that the acting was so good that I just travelled along with the characters and the story.

The film is based around a group of criminals who all have a connection but are unaware of this, they are all held together by the New York police and then the story starts to entwine the characters. The criminals agree to become involved in a job and this leads them to Los Angeles were things really start to happen. The film opens at the end of the story and is then based on a series of flashbacks and narrations but this does not become confusing, it is handled very well by the director and scriptwriters. The ending of the film is excellent and does keep you intrigued right up to the end, it is a film with much violence but I never felt it was too much or too gruesome, there is also a lot of dialogue but interesting to follow the characters. The overall effect is to intrigue the viewer, you want to know more and as the film goes on you really get drawn in and want to know more about the mysterious never seen but much talked about Kaiser Soze.

We watched a DVD version of the film, there were some extras, an audio commentary with the director and producer. I didn't check out the special features so can't comment on them.

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Cleverly engineered crime thriller.

Having had this lying around for a long time, I finally got round to watching it and I was surprised at just how good it was. Given that I had not heard a great deal about it, I did not have especially high expectations and I was blown away.

To sum the plot up without giving too much away, a group of assorted criminals (and one ex-criminal) are herded up in connection with a robbery and end up grouping together to do some jobs.

The key to this film is perspective and how brilliantly the director manages to manipulate it to create a compelling thriller. The plot is exciting and filled with twists - truly gripping stuff. The final sequence is where the film really reaches it's pinnacle and it left me sat awestruck.

The characters are all very well acted and are deep enough to be believable. The way they react with each other feels natural and they make it all the more enjoyable to watch.

After it had finished, I immediately wanted to watch it again. Not because the plot was so complicated that I didn't understand the first time but because it was almost as though the world I had glimpsed the first time had not been enough and I was coming back for more. I also wanted to try and spot the clues which I could not possibly have picked up the first time.

On a side note, the movie this most reminds me of is Memento. In both films information is cleverly withheld in such a way as to manipulate the way youperceive the events unfolding, leading you one way and then the other. Theeffect of this mental trickery makes for a enjoyable intelligent film.I am also confident fans of Reservoir Dogs will relish watching this.

Speaking of which, much like Reservoir Dogs, it is a very male dominated movie, I think there is only only one female speaking role, which is fairly minor.

One point of confusion I did have was the casting of Mr. Kobayashi, who is presumably Japanese as (the English) Pete Postlethwaite. To make matters worse he speaks in a borderline racist Pakistani/Yorkshire accent

That said, it does not impair the movie at all but they should write this radical new idea down, as a lesson to directors: when you have an Asian character, cast an Asian person.

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Brilliant film

The ususal suspects is a crime thriller about a gang who have been 'employed' by an apparent mythical and legendary man known as Keyser Soze, a Turkish villain who apparently no one knows of other than through tales told by various people.

The story begins as we see a boat being set alight, with dead bodies and a man lurking about the place, this is also the scene of the ending of the film, although slightly different, I won't say obviously in danger of spoiling what is a superb finale...

The story flows from the gang forming, to various missions and finally the Boat, which Keyser Soze has ordered the gang to infiltrate or risk serious consequences.

The main actors in this film are Kevin Spacey as Verbal Kint, who is being 'interrogated' inside a police station to tell them everything about what the gang did for this kaiser soze. Meanwhile a Hungarian, aboard the ship is being questioned as the only remaining survivor to have ever seen Keyser Soze. Gabriel Byrne also plays the 2nd lead man as a former criminal turning good before this series of events and yet more greatness from Stephen Baldwin.

I can understand why some people may find this film a little boring in places, not me however, the tension and suspense of finding out what actually happens is brilliant and the story telling of Kint is equally as good, the acting is superb as you may have guessed from the leading actors although support from Pete Postlethwaite and Peter Greene.

The ending is by far the best bit about this film as the story turns and the drama unfolds amongst our eyes as several realisations take place and the whole stroy is turned on its head, who is Keyser Soze, is he real, what did happen aboard that boat?

This is a classic and oscars were won for it, well worth it and I was able to pick this special edition up for £3, for that price you'd actually have to be a bit odd to turn this films down.

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It will keep you entertained and guessing right to the end

This is an absolute gem of a film. Roger 'Verbal' Keets is a small time crook, and also the only survivor of a massacre on a boat in New York. He is taken into police custody and interrogated by Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri). Under this interrogation Verbal gradually reveals the story behind the boat massacre. We find out about a police line up where the criminals 1st meet and the crime that leads them all to the boat incident is originally conceived, and a mysterious figure who may be behind the whole thing. That's all you're getting about the plot, this is a mystery and the plot twists and turns in many clever ways which I have no desire to spoil for you.The cast is excellent, as well as the 2 already mentioned there are strong performances from Gabriel Bynre, Stephen Baldwin, Pete Postlethwaite and Benicio Del Toro. Spacey has the standout performance but the others are also very good. I think the film gets even better when rewatched - once you know the plot in full you are able to appreciate the details and links better still.It's a joy to watch, and for an 18 certificate there isn't a great deal of violence. If you like this take a look at The Illusionist (mystery), Twelve Monkeys (for twists) or Seven.

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Ever since this convoluted thriller dazzled audiences and critics in 1995 and won an Oscar for Christopher McQuarrie's twisting screenplay, The Usual Suspects has continued to divide movie lovers into opposite camps. While a lot of people take great pleasure from the movie's now-famous central mystery (namely, "Who is Keyser Söze?"), others aren't so easily impressed by a movie that's too enamoured of its own cleverness to make much sense. After all, what are we to make of a final scene that renders the entire movie obsolete? Half the fun of The Usual Suspects is the debate it provokes and the sheer pleasure of watching its dynamic cast in action, led (or should we say, mislead) by Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey as the club-footed con man who recounts the saga of enigmatic Hungarian mobster Keyser Söze. Spacey's in a band of thieves that includes Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Pollak, and Benicio Del Toro, all gathered in a plot to steal a large shipment of cocaine. The story is told in flashback as a twisted plot being described by Spacey's character to an investigating detective (Chazz Palmintieri), and The Usual Suspects is enjoyable for the way it keeps the viewer guessing right up to its surprise ending. Whether that ending will enhance or extinguish the pleasure is up to each viewer to decide. Even if it ultimately makes little or no sense at all, this is a funny and fiendish thriller, guaranteed to entertain even its vocal detractors. --Jeff Shannon